'400 jobs lost’ over shopping centre ruling

A RULING by An Bord Pleanála to uphold an objection to expand Limerick’s Crescent Shopping Centre will cost up to 400 retail jobs, it was claimed yesterday.

Marks & Spencer were hoping to move into the expanded centre.

Limerick City Council had lodged an objection to the development claiming it would adversely affect the city centre.

Limerick County Council had given planning permission for the development at the centre which is located in Dooradoyle, just outside the city boundary area.

A spokesperson for M&S said they had planned to open their first retail outlet in Limerick in the proposed €72 million development.

The spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with the planning decision taken by An Bord Pleanála. Currently, there are no suitable sites for M&S in Limerick city centre, so we won’t be in a position to open a store in the area in the foreseeable future.

“It is with regret that 400 jobs will now not be created and that potential customers in the west of Ireland won’t have access to our full range of products.”

However, Limerick city manager Tom Mackey welcomed the decision of An Bord Pleanála.

“It is good news for the city centre because the debate in relation to the Crescent Shopping Centre was whether we should have additional out of town shopping on this scale. This decision reaffirms the supremacy of the city centre.”

In its ruling, An Bord Pleanála said the proposed development would aggravate traffic congestion in the area and the development was not in compliance with the retail planning guidelines set out by the Department of the Environment.

An Bord Pleanála said that as the proposed development was only 3km from the city centre, it would be to the detriment of the vitality and viability of the centre.

An Bord Pleanála held three days of oral hearings last March during which the city council strongly opposed the expansion of the Crescent Shopping Centre.

Mr Mackey told the hearing that their argument was that national policy should support the city centre and not out of town centres.

The city council lodged a 21-page submission in which they stated that Limerick County Council in granting planning permission for the development had not adhered to their development plan policy by not assessing the vitality and viability of the centre in considering the application.

They also claimed that the plans to extend the Crescent Shopping Centre contravened the retail strategy plan for the mid-west drawn up six years ago.